


Whenever You're In Trouble

by Escaped_ism



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, How Do Categories Even Work?!, I Ship It, I Tried, I have no idea where this will go, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Not Ashamed, I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry Square Enix, I'm Trying Not To Laugh At These Tags XD, Ignis Scientia is So Done, M/M, Minor Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Minor Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Noctis Lucis Caelum is Bad at Feelings, Oblivious Gladiolus Amicitia, Other, Please Don't Hate Me, Prompto Argentum Needs a Hug, Slice of Life, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-01-20 14:42:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21283403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Escaped_ism/pseuds/Escaped_ism
Summary: Prompto is a lonely boi and Noct is a socially awkward boi. Gladio is trying not to laugh at the two, and Iggy is sighing to keep his composure, but is secretly very amused indeed.I have no idea what path this fic will take, but please bare with me. We may get something coherent in the end... hopefully.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum
Kudos: 47





	1. Humans are Terrible People

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic on here, as you may have guessed by the mess I've made of the tags and things.... XD
> 
> I kinda based the first chapter from my own laptop experiences (because the number of tabs should definitely threaten my poor laptop's short life), and kinda figured that Prompto would probably do something similar. (Also, yes. Tomohon is Japanese for 'Friend Book' because I thought it sounded less cheesy that way XD)  
Things kinda spiraled out of my control from there tbh... I really need to sort my life out, but I'm here writing fanfics insead as a form of escapism XD
> 
> Hopefully I'll figure out how this site works better as I get used to it, otherwise this may end up being an unintentionally short.... (^_^;
> 
> Anyway, without further adieu, I hope you enjoy this fic, and I will try to keep it updated monthly or something (you probably can't take my word with that because I'm really bad at keeping promises XD) I'll do my best to figure something out with publishing anyway.

Prompto raised his head from his laptop, his eyes stinging from the intense glow of the LED screen. He'd been sat there for hours, wondering how he'd managed to let things get this bad.

In total, he'd closed nearly 100 tabs that he'd hoarded over the past few months. He was surprised that his laptop had managed to cope with the strain of so many unkempt pages for so long, the number increasing on an almost daily basis. He found tabs of music he'd liked too much to get rid of, but didn't really want to download either. He found tabs he'd managed to forget about- potential gifts for Noct, Iggy, and Gladio. That phone he'd been meaning to save up for but never got around to. Damn, he'd worked so many night shifts just to spend all he'd earned at the arcade with Noct, not to mention all those new additions to his video game collection.

Speaking of video games, he had oh so many game-related tabs. Strategy guides, memes he meant to share with his friends, reviews, forums, sites where he could buy merch... You name it, there was at least 1 tab that catered for that specific need.

Ugh, he was such a nerd... But escapism was so much better than facing reality- he'd barely seen his parents at all that week, not that he saw them all that much anyway. They both had awkward working hours and couldn't seem to fit play around work.

Whenever he was at home, they were either at work or fast asleep. It's just how things were, and after several years of facing that fact, he was mostly used to it. Despite that, it didn't stop him from feeling a void where their presence should have been, and no matter what he did to distract himself, he still felt a longing for their company, no matter how much or little time it was. Something was better than nothing. All he wanted to know is if they cared. If they cared about more than just their jobs. If they cared about each other. If they cared about him.

He was beginning to feel an increase in the sense of loneliness that never seemed to let him go, so he tried to focus on something else. That was hard when he'd hardly seen his best friend either. Noct hadn't been at school that week so he could do some extra training or princeing, or whatever. It figured that right when he needed the extra company, he was alone again.... well, maybe not completely. He knew that he could talk to Noct whenever he wanted, providing they both had internet connection.... He just didn't want to be a distraction from important princely duties, because Ignis would definitely be on his back again for distracting the Crown Prince from his training with Gladio.

He shook his head violently, realizing he'd gone way off track. Why was he thinking about that now? He was trying to decrease the number of open tabs on his laptop, but why on Eos would he be doing that over something more important? What was it that he was supposed to be doing again? He couldn't remember for the life of him, but all this thinking was beginning to make him hungry. Geez, when was the last time he ate?

He quickly got up and made his way to the kitchen, opening a bare fridge before rifling through every drawer and cupboard in the room before confirming his assumptions. His parents had forgotten to go grocery shopping again. "Welp, I guess I'd better make other plans for food." he said aloud, as if someone could hear him. He whipped his phone out of his pocket to order a pizza- it was too late for him to go out to buy some ingredients, and he was a terrible chef anyway.

A few minutes later and the pizza arrived. After tipping the delivery man, Prompto made his way back to his room with the box. He hated having to order such unhealthy food, but preferred that over going hungry for another night. He got back to his laptop, pizza in hand, and decided he would try to contact Noct on Tomohon. To his surprise, he had a few unread messages on the social media platform.

[Noct]: Hey, Prom. How's school been? Hope I won't miss much this week. Catching up's gonna suck! Sorry I couldn't be there, Gladio needed me to catch up on my training. I'll make up for it in the arcade next week, you can count on it!

[Noct]: Do you know if we had any homework to do over the weekend?

[Noct]: You feeling ok, Prom? It's pretty unusual for you to be offline for so long. Anything troubling you? We could meet up over a weekend or something to make up for lost time if you want.

[Noct]: Hey, I have no idea if you'll read this in time, but you wanna meet up at the arcade on Sunday?

Shit! His best friend had been worrying about him and he hadn't even noticed! And it was Saturday evening now! Whatever plans he'd had for the next day could wait. He hurriedly typed into his keyboard.

[Prom]: Yeah, sure. Sounds great. What time? Have been doing some extra running, so sorry for not being online. Also, Mr Pilkins hasn't bombarded us with homework for once, surprisingly.

The part about the running was a lie, but Prompto couldn't bring himself to tell Noct the truth. That he'd basically been home alone all week, and the only company he'd had was when he took food out into the jungle that was once a garden to feed the neighborhood cats.

The beeping of a notification brought him back to his senses.

[Noct]: It's fine, just hoped you were doing alright. I don't think you've ever been offline for so long. Is about 12 ok?

Prompto let out a quiet chuckle at Noct's chosen time. He knew that 12 was early for Noct on a weekend. At any time, in fact. His fingers glided across the keyboard as he typed out his reply.

[Prom]: Aww, you worried about me? 12 is fine! I'm gonna thrash you at pachinko. Just you wait!

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

On the other side of the screen, the corners of Noctis's mouth curved into a smile. He was looking forward to seeing Prompto for the first time that week, and was truly sorry that he'd been unable to spend more time with him, but didn't know how to articulate those feelings without coming off as a weirdo. He scratched the back of his head at the thought of how awkward it would've been if he had opened up.

Training that week had been hard. Not only was it getting more physically demanding, it was also getting to the stage where he needed to summon his powers granted to him as future king. He'd been learning how to warp and phase for months now, but had only recently been training actively to know how to use them efficiently. To add to that, when it came to coaching, Gladiolus was a slave driver. He knew exactly how to push the young prince to his limit, and sometimes beyond. Noctis knew that he needed to get stronger to stand a chance in battle- especially because being royalty made him more of a target than his peers. He also knew that the stronger he got, the less of a problem that old injury would be to him by comparison. Even after all these years, it still caused him niggling pain every now and then- usually when he could do without it. As much as he hated training, he did have to admit that it was making him better at using his powers, and that could never be a bad thing. He could definitely do more warping and phasing before reaching stasis than when the training began. He just hoped he'd be able to make this ability useful in real combat.

His thoughts flooding back to the present, he texted Ignis to confirm tomorrow's arrangements. He knew that the message would get passed on to Gladio eventually, but also that it wasn't too urgent, since Ignis and Gladio rarely traveled separately, and would be spending the majority of the following day accompanying the young prince and his friend anyway.


	2. Charade in the Arcade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis and Prompto meet up at the arcade with Iggy and Gladio in tow. Some serious gaming happens, and Gladio tries to get Ignis to lighten up a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you so much for the kudos, bookmarks and for reading this in general!!! I'm genuinely surprised how many people like this so far, especially since this fanfic has only been a thing for like 24 hours so far. I'm publishing chapter 2 already because I have both the time and motivation, but who knows what'll happen when college actually starts again... Things might slow down a little as I try to keep up with homework and stuff...
> 
> I've just found out how to format my work, so now it'll hopefully look a little more professional (^_^;
> 
> I'll try my best to keep this up because I'm really enjoying the zen of writing, and also want to see which direction things will take.

Ignis awoke to the usual din of his alarm. It was a sound he'd become accustomed to. He was never one for waking up at a time that differed from his normal routine. That would be far too problematic. Especially when he had a certain Crown Prince to tend to, and his hyperactive best friend, who from Ignis's past experience, was certain to be practically bouncing off the walls from all the energy that he'd have bottled in over the past week.

Ignis knew that the boy didn't seem to have a very extensive friend circle, which partially explained why he was so bubbly around the prince. He didn't however, know much of the boy's family life. Considering he'd parked near his house hundreds of times to pick him up or drop him off, he'd never once seen his parents. He wondered what the reason could be, but didn't ponder over it for long. He had a prince to wake up, and also had to account for picking up Gladiolus en route to the arcade.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ  
  
---  
  
The opening of the dark curtains startled Noctis awake. He groaned as the bright sunlight entered the room. 

"Now now, if I hadn't been here to wake you, you would have been late meeting Prompto at the arcade today." The voice of his adviser brought him to his senses. Damn, he'd slept through his alarm again. He'd meant to set it early so that he could impress Ignis, but that was to no avail. "Breakfast shall be ready in ten minutes."

He sighed as Ignis left the room. He needed to sort his life out, but he was so tired. It was ironic to live in a city called Insomnia when he was always sleepy. He smiled at that thought before getting ready. 

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Prompto was stood waiting for Noctis at the usual meeting point. His mind lost in the world that was in his phone, but he was quickly torn away from his alternate reality at the sound of the black car pulling up to the sidewalk. A heavy door with a dark tinted window opened, revealing Ignis, who quickly opened the back door for the future king of Lucis. 

"Hey, Noct!" Prompto beamed while watching as the prince emerged into the sunshine, still bleary-eyed despite it being almost noon, "How've ya been?"

"Never been better! You?"

"Been doin' great!"

A moment of silence fell as neither of them knew what to say next. Noctis scratched the back of his unkempt hair, while Prompto was looking around desperately, trying to find a new topic for conversation.

"Quit with the formalities and get to the arcade already!" Gladio intervened, giving Prompto a start as he hadn't noticed his presence. Gladio huffed in amusement at the reaction he got from the blond before trailing behind as they made for the arcade. 

Being a Sunday, the arcade was less busy than usual, but that was definitely not a bad thing. The boys were basically free to play whatever games they wanted without having to wait for someone else's turn to be over. It was also a huge relief to Prompto that he could forget about his social anxieties, as there was barely anyone else there other than the four of them. 

Gladio was proving his strength on the arcade's punch bag. He loved seeing the awed facial expressions he received for the high scores he got, but wasn't getting any kind of response from the man standing next to him. Ignis may be standing right there, but his eyes were focused on the two boys vigorously trying to keep up with the floating arrows of Dance Dance Revolution, a challenge they had set to prove who was fittest after their week apart. Although everyone was having fun, it was important that Ignis kept vigilant, lest something happen to his highness while he or Gladiolus was distracted. Seeing how Gladio was focused on beating his own high score for the moment, Ignis was paying extra attention to his surroundings than he would usually, or so he thought. He flinched as a large hand clamped over his shoulder.

"Wat'cha doin', Iggy?" Gladiolus's gruff voice said from behind him, "Ya know that Noct will be perfectly fine while we're in here, right? Besides, we've been here hundreds of times by now."

"I cannot ignore my duty to the king, as you are fully aware, Gladiolus. I need to ensure that Noctis is safe at all times." he responded harshly.

"C'mon, the prince is gonna be fine. He hasn't been training for nothing. Besides, he's with Prompto, so if anything were to happen, we'd hear his yelling from Mt. Ravatogh."

Ignis tried to hide the smile that was spreading across his face. He knew that Gladio was right, but he really shouldn't be disobeying orders.

"How about I challenge you to some air hockey?" he asked, knowing he'd be stood watching the young prince for a loooonnnggg time if he didn't listen to Gladiolus's advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to make a part 2 for this, partly because it's getting late... (^_^;
> 
> With chapter 2 now being a thing, this is officially a series! Thank you so much for reading this mess!  
I hope to continue writing soon!


	3. Charade in the Arcade- Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are still at the arcade. Gladio and Ignis are playing air hockey, and Noctis and Prompto play DDR and then Justice Monsters.
> 
> Noctis has been playing Justice Monsters for ages, but there's a good reason for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it! I made part 2 of Charade in the Arcade! I hope to get to some kind of romance some point, so this chapter is some lighthearted fluff before feels become reals.
> 
> Thank you for reading this, I really appreciate it!! :3

Gladiolus was surprised at the royal adviser's reflexes. The air hockey puck had been hurtling back and forth for a solid ten minutes, and yet the score was still 0-0. He knew that it was important that Ignis stayed alert for Noctis's sake, but was previously unaware of the man's ability to watch a target in a cat-like manner, calculating before making his move and striking the puck with precision before repeating the action with the same immaculate timing. Even after hundreds of attempts, Gladio could never get the puck within an inch of the goal.

The sound of the puck clattering into Gladiolus's open goal put an end to his musing, Ignis smiling at this small triumph. "Best of three?" Gladio queried.

"I think we had better save that for another time." Ignis replied, his composure regained as he nodded in the direction of the two exhausted boys who had been watching in slight amusement and awe. "N-no, go ahead. We have plenty of time." the prince said hastily, "C'mon, Prompto I'll treat you to a game of Justice Monsters."

"He's just tryin' to hide the fact that I beat him at Dance Dance Revolution." Giggled the blond, making the prince facepalm in embarrassment before joining him at the pinball machine. 'Gotta hand it to him,' thought Gladio, 'the prince knows how to keep his subjects happy.'

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Prompto marveled at the endless row of tickets at his feet. Noct really was a wiz at Justice Monsters, and the ticket dispensing system added to the thrill of seeing his rising score. He couldn't wait to see what prizes his friend would get with all of these!

After his own turn ended in just a few rounds, Prompto had stepped aside to let Noctis show him how it's done, and he'd been on a roll since. Prompto didn't mind, it was nice to see his best friend having so much fun, and besides, he was also thankful of the rest- he was still pretty tired after giving Dance Dance Revolution his all, so he was more than comfortable just watching. He was however, feeling rather thirsty at this point and thought it a good idea to get something to drink before he began to feel dehydrated. "Hey Noct, I'm just gonna go get a drink from the vending machine. You want anything?"

"Nah, I'm good" came the hasty reply, as Noctis didn't dare remove his focus from the game for a moment.

Prompto reached the vending machine and chose a drink, watching as it plummeted toward the hatch where he reached out and grabbed it. He tried to open it carefully, and yet it still sprayed everywhere. He half sighed, half laughed at the droplets that now covered the floor in a half circle around him and made his way back to the pinball machine that now lacked the presence of the prince of Lucis. Where was Noct? Surely he hadn't left him behind, had he?

The tap of a finger on his shoulder startled him. He quickly spun around to see who it was, almost headbutting Noctis in the process. "Oh! H-hey, bud!" Prompto sheepishly said louder than he intended. "Where did you run off to?"

"Just wanted to see how Ignis and Gladio were doing. They've finished playing air hockey." "Oh, right. We should probably get going then. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting." Prompto really wanted to know how Noctis had gotten on with Justice Monsters, but he didn't want to make him late for any plans Ignis and Gladio may have had for him after leaving the arcade. The two boys reunited with the trainee shield and adviser and left the arcade. Not long after stepping into the late afternoon sun, Noctis made a sudden announcement. "I've left something in the arcade," he said, nonchalantly, "I'll be right back."

The next few minutes were very awkward for Prompto. He knew Ignis and Gladio quite well by now, but still struggled to think of a topic worthy of conversation, and the silence was slowly killing him. He decided to clutch at straws. "So.. anything interesting happen this week?"

"Nuthin' much." replied Gladio, "Been training Noct hard so he can warp and phase in battle."

"Cool!"

"And I've managed to get his highness to eat his vegetables." Ignis smiled.

"Really?! How'd you do that?" Exclaimed Prompto.

"I've been adding them to his meals without him noticing." He smiled triumphantly, gaining awed expressions from the other two. Prompto was discovering a playful side to Ignis that he hadn't noticed before.

"Ah, did you find what you'd lost, Noct?" Ignis remarked as the prince emerged from the arcade, carrying something inside a large bag.

"Yeah, I found it. Prompto, this is for you." He handed the bag to a confused Prompto.

"A gift? For me? Aww, you shouldn't have!" He said teasingly, but also meaning it. So this is what he'd done with all those tickets.

"Just open it already, or I'll have to take it back!" The prince joked. Prompto lifted something soft out of the bag and gasped when he saw what it was- a chocobo plushie! His eyes sparkled with delight.

"Thanks buddie!" he practically yelled, hugging his best friend before knowing what had come across him. He let go and blushed a vibrant red that made Gladio laugh, Ignis smile, and Noctis chuckled in embarrassment.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

When Noctis was finally back in the comfort of his bed, he began to think about the events of that day. Was it weird of him to have given Prompto that chocobo plushie? He was definitely very happy with it, but something about that moment seemed a little off to him.

He knew that they hadn't seen each other for a whole week, but Prompto seemed different somehow. He was definitely very happy to be in the company of his friends again, and was ecstatic with his gift, but at the same time, there was a tinge of sadness in his eyes. Was it because the gift made it feel like a date? Noct hoped that wasn't the reason.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Prompto sighed when he got home. His parents weren't in, as expected. It was just him again, home alone. He hugged his chocobo tightly to remember how he'd felt earlier that day. He blushed as he remembered the hug he'd given Noct. It was fine to hug your friends when they'd just given you an amazing gift- an amazing day in fact, right? But Noct looked embarrassed afterwards. Was he in the wrong to have hugged him, or was it just that he hadn't expected that kind of response? He tried to silence his thoughts by putting his headphones on and going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of another chapter!
> 
> I have no idea when I'll be able to publish the next one because I'll be busy this weekend, but even if I don't publish anything next week, I'll have time to plan where this next chapter will go.
> 
> Thanks again for reading, kudosing and bookmarking!


	4. The Best Kind of Mess Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompto wakes up but has no energy. Noct is worried about him and plans to see him after school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! Thanks for sticking with this. I hope you enjoy reading this mess as much as I enjoy writing it. ^_^
> 
> Things are kinda taking a turn in this chapter, but I don't really have the guts to make things get overly dark, not yet at least. The next chapter will definitely be more upbeat and wholesome (and if you squint, some Promnis almost happens).
> 
> I'll do my best to keep things as interesting as I can in the mean time and hopefully work up toward some other events for the future.
> 
> Please don't take the actions in this chapter as gospel because I'm no doctor. If you do experience something similar to Prompto in this chapter, I'd recommend seeing a dietitian or seeking other professional help. Remember that recovery from anything is a slow process and you must take things a small step at a time. Whatever is going on in your life, you're doing a great job being you, and don't forget that.

Prompto awoke to the usual sound of his alarm. He unfurled his grasp on his chocobo plushie and reached a heavy arm out to silence the din before sitting up stiffly. 'Must be after playing DDR yesterday.' he thought, still confused as to why he'd feel quite so beat up after only a couple of rounds, even if he had given it his all to prove himself to Noct. He'd managed to beat Noctis by the skin of his teeth, which was especially impressive since he hadn't gone for a run for at least a week. 

He attempted to stand up, but had to sit back down again, his legs buckling beneath him. That was new. He began to stand again but more slowly, his legs not failing him this time. Why did he feel so weak?

He staggered his way to the bathroom and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, seeing a tired, pale face looking back at him. He was a wreck. He also noticed that his pajamas seemed baggier than he remembered, so he lifted a corner of his shirt to confirm his suspicions. He had lost a lot of weight, and he knew he'd be in trouble if he didn't do anything about it soon.

The sight of his reflection had startled him, and he tried to place what had happened for him to have become so much thinner. He had no idea how long he'd been in this state for- it had been ages since he'd last used the scales. He came home one day to find that most of the contents of the house had been obliterated after his parents had had an argument. It wasn't the first time that he'd come home to complete destruction either- he'd witnessed the carnage his parents were capable of on several occasions, but he had never witnessed this much chaos before. The scales were a write off, and even the coffee machine had been caught in the crossfire, and had left a brown stain on the kitchen floor that Prompto couldn't remove no matter how hard he tried. 

That was a month ago now, but he hadn't seen a trace of his parents since then. So had they actually abandoned him? Now that he thought about it, that would explain the lack of food in the house. He'd gotten so used to his mother forgetting to go grocery shopping that he hadn't noticed his unhealthy eating habits, but he knew he was also to blame. He should have gone shopping himself, but he never completely lost hope that he'd come home to see a full refrigerator, and didn't want to waste his money on food he wouldn't eat. 

His weight seemed to be something that he was rarely able to control- he couldn't seem to find the balance between being under or overweight. He thought he was close to solving this, but now realized he still had a long way to go. 

He sighed, remembering that he'd spent the past month only eating the occasional pizza, which would last at least two days, or sometimes a salad if he was fortunate enough to remember to eat 'healthily.' He wondered how he'd managed to cope- especially with being so active at the arcade yesterday. He felt ill at the thought. How much weight had he lost since he last checked? 

Prompto left the bathroom and slowly made his way to the kitchen to pour himself some tea. He frowned at the chipped cup, knowing that tea wouldn't be enough to sustain him, but it would do for now. All he knew was that he needed to eat something, but that there wasn't anything for him to eat. He didn't know what to do, but he knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to go to school like this. And going for a run was definitely not a good idea. What should he tell Noct? He'd try to solve that problem when it arose. 

He got dressed and then phoned the school about his absence, before deciding to venture to the store to buy some noodles or something. Prompto knew he wouldn't be able to eat much anyway, and he couldn't cook to save himself, so noodles would be a good start. The journey was short but very slow because Prompto didn't want to risk collapsing on the way there. He made sure to stock up on cup noodles, a few cans of soup and some energy drinks. He bought more than he needed so that he had time to recover before needing to make the trip to the store again. He sipped on one of the drinks on the way back, the sugar temporarily returning some of his strength, to his relief. 

He made himself some cup noodles as soon as he got back. He knew that he wouldn't be able to eat large quantities of food in one go, so he made slow progress on his meal, finally finishing when the noodles were almost cold. He considered opening another packet, but thought against it, reminding himself that he should take small steps to recover, instead of trying to charge back into eating healthily again. He sighed and hoped that Noct wouldn't be too worried at his sudden absence.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ 

Noctis had been wondering why his friend was so late for school when the teacher's announcement of his absence confirmed his suspicions. He had thought that Prompto seemed a bit paler than usual yesterday, and he did look rather thin, but his concern had been subdued when he saw that his best friend was just as energetic as ever. He should've been more worried, but genuinely thought that Prompto was doing OK. He had to admit that he did let Prompto beat him at Dance Dance Revolution, but that was because his best friend was so determined to win, and Noct knew that Prompto wasn't the best at Justice Monsters anyway, so it made things even. 

Noct planned to visit Prompto that afternoon to try to make up for not realizing he was unwell. Even if he couldn't bring up the courage to tell Prompto his feelings, he hoped that his presence would be enough to express his concern for his best friend. He decided that it would be a good idea to bring Ignis in with him, because if anyone would notice what was ailing Prompto, Ignis was definitely the man to know. And he'd know how to deal with things in a discreet manner. He sent a text to inform his adviser of the change of plans for when school was over, but explaining that he wanted Ignis to come with him could wait until he was there in person.

The rest of that day seemed to be never-ending, but all Noct could do was wait until the final bell rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> Chapter 5 will hopefully be in existence within a few days! I've already written at least a thousand words toward it, but need to make some (more) final touches, and also have things come to a decent close.


	5. The Best Kind of Mess Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis and Noctis arrive at Prompto's house and Ignis does some low-key investigating to try to see if there's anything he can do to help and realizes that things are worse than he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it took me 4 days to realize I could've posted 2 chapters at once XD 
> 
> I've had this part of the arc ready for a while, but wanted to make sure I didn't want to add anything first, and since I'm way past this point now, here it is! I've still got way more where this came from, but this will do for now.
> 
> Ugh, formatting is a pain because it pastes in one long paragraph from my word processor, but my solution is to add a '@' for every new line so then I know what I'm doing and also save a bit of time. (so now if you see a random @ in my work you know why XD)

Ignis waited for Noctis in the usual spot in front of the school gates. As soon as the young prince got into the car, Ignis began the familiar journey to Prompto's house. The trip was short, but long enough for them to have a conversation. "So how was school, Noct?"

"It was good."

Ignis was curious as to why Noctis wanted to go to Prompto's house when the boy wasn't with them, and wanted to confirm his suspicions. "If you don't mind me asking, why are we going to Prompto's house this afternoon?" he asked, knowing half of the answer before Noct said a word.

"Prompto wasn't at school today so I want to make sure he's alright. I thought he seemed kinda pale yesterday, but he was so full of energy- I thought he was OK." there was a slight pause before he continued, "Um, Ignis. Is it OK if you come with me? Seeing how you're so perceptive, I know I can trust you to notice things that I might not be aware of."

"Certainly. I'll do my best."

The car pulled up outside of Prompto's house, Ignis getting out swiftly in order to open the back door for Noctis. They proceeded to the house, and Ignis stepped forward to ring the doorbell. There were a few moments of silence before the door opened, revealing a sleepy-looking Prompto.

"Oh, h-hey, guys! How've ya been? Wasn't expecting to get any visitors. Come in!" He stepped aside to let them in, a wide grin plastering his face. Ignis couldn't help but notice the way the boy leaned against the door frame, as if he couldn't rely on the strength of his own legs, and Noctis was right- he did look very pale. "I thought we should be the ones asking you that question." chuckled Noct. "You were the one who wasn't at school today after all."

"Oh, right! I've been doing alright." said Prompto, almost forgetting about his absence that day, "Just felt really tired this morning, so I thought it'd be a good idea to get my strength back. Should be fine by tomorrow, though." He smiled, but didn't really want to say much more about his day- he hated having to lie to his friends, but couldn't bare the truth himself.

The three of them made their way to the lounge. "You want anything to drink?" Prompto asked as he ushered at the other two to sit down- Ignis looking as dignified as ever, while Noct sat casually next to him. "There's tea, and the coffee machine is broken, but I have instant if you're interested, Iggy."

"That is quite alright Prompto, but I must insist on making the drinks on your behalf." came Ignis's stern reply, his fierce green gaze preventing Prompto from making any complaint. Ignis stood back up, allowing Prompto to take his place next to Noct on the couch. "Would I be right in assuming that I'm to make two teas and one coffee?" Ignis inquired, knowing that Noctis only had coffee on two occasions- when he needed the caffeine to keep him awake, or when he was in a formal situation. On the other hand, he had rarely seen Prompto drink coffee, but he knew well enough that when the boy had chosen coffee over tea, he could power the whole of Lucis with all the energy he had.

Ignis's assumptions were proven right as the two boys nodded. He made his way to the kitchen and put the kettle on, finding the tea and instant coffee almost instantly. He also saw what Prompto meant when he said that the coffee machine was broken- the chamber that held the coffee had been shattered, and there was a large coffee stain on the floor that had been made worse by failed attempts to clean it up. Something drastic must've happened since the last time Ignis had been there- it would've taken a lot of force to break the coffee machine in such a manner.

It took him a while to find cups for the three of them, and when he opened the refrigerator, he was greeted by almost bare shelves and a half-empty bottle of milk, which he was about to pour into his coffee when he realized that it had become cheese. He frowned as he put the bottle back down again, thankful he noticed before it was too late. He had the feeling he'd need a black coffee that afternoon anyway. He was growing concerned, as more pieces of the puzzle were put into place. What had happened in this household? And why were so many things either broken or seemed to be missing? He was especially concerned by the lack of food he'd seen so far, so decided to investigate further. He quietly looked through the cupboards, hoping that more food would be stored there, but was only confronted with more emptiness.

He was relieved when he spotted the shopping bag on the table, and had a quick glimpse at the contents- some cup noodles, energy drinks, and cans of what looked like soup. Hardly a healthy diet, but better than what he'd seen otherwise. He decided he must confront Prompto about this somehow, and wondered if he was even able to cook for himself. He knew that whatever had happened would be a touchy subject, so he would try to solve the immediate issue first, and over time, Prompto will hopefully open up to Noct if not to Ignis personally.

He brought the two boys their drinks through before returning with his own, sitting in an armchair adjacent to the couch. After seeing the contents of the kitchen, Ignis couldn't help but feel concerned about Prompto's situation. The cogs in his mind were now whirring, analyzing every detail. He knew that he should first focus on the lack of food, but he couldn't help but try to link how the missing cups and the broken coffee machine could be somehow related to the issue. And where were Prompto's parents? He focused back to Prompto's pale complexion and over-sized clothing. The boy in front of him was definitely in desperate need of a hug. He looked into his eyes, as if searching for the cause of whatever had happened. Although Prompto was trying his best to seem happy, Ignis could see something deep within those eyes. Whether it was sadness, worry, or a mixture of both, he couldn't tell.

"You alright there, Iggy?" Prompto's gaze snapped Ignis out of his pondering.

"Why yes, thank you, Prompto." said Ignis, as if he hadn't been acting suspiciously at all, "I was just wondering, how are you getting by in the culinary arts? I only ask because I couldn't help but notice the lack of ingredients in your fridge when I was looking for the milk."

"Oh, that? I-I haven't bought fresh ingredients for a while because I'm not a great cook, but I do have food around. I swear, I could even burn toast." He smiled, hoping the joke would help lighten the situation. He tried his best not to look panicked when he knew Ignis had instantly found out his problem.

"You should have Ignis give you cooking lessons." suggested Noctis in a half-joking manner. Prompto almost choked on his tea. Dammit, how could he turn down that offer?!

"Y-yeah, you're right! But I have had cooking lessons in the past. They all ended in disaster..." He trailed off and his hand scratched at the back of his head as he remembered the times his parents tried to teach him how to cook, and how they eventually gave up- his mother got frustrated that he couldn't even boil an egg, and his father yelled at him after he destroyed the microwave while experimenting with new ways to boil said egg.

"You may have a point there," intervened Ignis, "how about I cook for you instead, and hopefully you'll learn some culinary skills in due time." Prompto liked the sound of that but didn't know how to reply. The thought of Ignis cooking for him was surreal, but he should be there for Noctis, not to cook for someone like him.

Noctis saw that his friend was in two minds about Ignis's proposal, and decided to contribute to the offer, knowing that there must've been a reason why Ignis was being so persistent. "Yeah, you could stay over at my place for a few days if you'd like, so then Ignis doesn't need to do any extra travelling." Prompto blushed, but replied with certainty.

"Y-yeah, I'd love to." He knew that his friends were trying to help him, and since Noct obviously didn't mind, he couldn't refuse the offer.

'I had better inform Gladiolus of the change of this evening's arrangements.' thought Ignis as he smiled. "We'll head out at five, then." he said, giving Prompto over an hour to get ready before they left.

"Right, I'd better get packing then!" exclaimed Prompto as he leaped up carefully before heading toward his room, "be right back!" Noctis and Ignis smiled as he left the room, waiting patiently for him to return, and watching as he darted in and out of doors with different possessions. Ignis decided to do the washing up while Prompto continued to pack.

A few minutes later, Prompto emerged with a bag containing some clothes and other possessions- toothbrush and toothpaste, shower gel, a towel, some video games and his chocobo plushie (of course). He'd also snuck some of the energy drinks in there in case of emergency. "I think I've got everything I need."

"Shall we be off then?" The three of them left the building and Prompto locked the door behind them. He sighed, knowing his parents wouldn't even notice his absence. "You OK, Prompto?" Asked a concerned Noctis. 

"Yeah, just a little sleepy." 

"You'll have plenty of time to sleep after I've made dinner." Dinner!? Prompto had only just gotten over his cup noodles. He hoped Ignis wasn't going to make them a feast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this arc is a lot longer than I expected it to be, so it's gonna be in at least 3 parts if not 4+... (^^;
> 
> I honestly didn't expect to be able to write so much just for this part of the story, but at least it means I still have plenty of work in progress ahead of me that might be published within the next few days? If not, it's because my birthday is coming up soon, and I still can't believe that I'm almost officially an adult. I think I'm becoming more childish than ever tbh XD
> 
> Anyway, after this arc, I'm planning on focusing some chapters on Cor and Gladio because Cor hasn't even been in this fanfic yet and we need to change that, and we haven't seen Gladio for a while now, so there's definitely some catching up to do there.
> 
> Anyway, thanks again for reading this. I can't believe that 200 people have at least looked at my work! Thank you so much for supporting this semi-coherent mess! XD
> 
> Hope you enjoyed chapter 5! (I still think I've only posted 3 chapters up 'til now XD)


	6. The Best Kind of Mess Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis and Prompto do some cooking. That's about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm an adult now apparently, but that's a strange thought to someone who's only recently been binge watching Moomins. Alcohol is meh, but at least it wouldn't take much to drown my sorrows if I felt that way (I honestly prefer soda hands down xD)
> 
> Progress has been pretty slow on the fanfic recently because I've had a lot to do for college (I'm dumb enough to not worry about things until I'm practically drowning in responsibility), but I might be able to pick up the pace a little during the Christmas break? (I'm not gonna make that a promise, because I have no idea what the future holds). 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'll hopefully be releasing more soon! (?)

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

The three made their way to the black car, and Ignis put Prompto's luggage in the trunk before getting behind the wheel. He informed the two boys to buckle up and then set off.

Ignis reached Noctis's apartment within minutes. He smiled at the sight of the two slumbering boys, who's heads were resting on each other's shoulders. He got out of the car and unpacked the trunk so that Noctis and Prompto had time to wake up on their own, although he had little hope for that. He unlocked the door and brought everything in before returning to the car to wake the sleeping boys. They both stretched and got out.

After entering the apartment, Ignis and Prompto began getting things ready for making dinner while Noctis prepared the spare bedroom for Prompto. When Noct emerged once again, he made his excuses before leaving to do some homework. Ignis nodded before turning to the additional guest. "Could you start chopping the onions, Prompto?"

"S-sure!" He grabbed the knife and chopping board and began removing the onion skins. Ignis demonstrated what to do with the first onion, and then left Prompto to his own devices so he could finish chopping the carrots before Noctis came back (he didn't want the prince to find out about his treachery). Halfway through slicing the first onion, Prompto encountered his first problem. "Umm, Ignis. The knife got stuck..." Ignis sighed, and instructed Prompto without looking away from the simmering pan in front of him, knowing exactly what was wrong as if he had a sixth sense. "Push the knife downward while turning the onion slowly toward you. And mind your fingers."

Prompto did just as he was told, and the knife made a satisfactory clunk on the chopping board, as the two halves of the onion separated either side of the blade. He smiled at his small victory and chopped the two halves into smaller pieces, being careful not to accidentally cut his fingers.

Chopping the rest of the onions was short work and after a while, Prompto soon felt that he was beginning to master it. He handed the chopping board to Ignis, who gracefully pushed the pile into the pan in a single movement before taking the empty chopping board over to the sink and asked Prompto to stir the pan. Upon his return, Ignis finally made eye contact with his temporary cooking assistant, and saw that his eyes were streaming. "Are you alright, Prompto?"

"Yeah. Just that the onions have made me a little tearful." He smiled and tried to wipe away some of the tears before continuing, "This is the first time I've ever cut onions. You never told me they'd make me cry, Iggy!"

"My apologies, but I assumed that you'd already know that. " Ignis had been caught slightly off guard, he really hadn't expected Prompto to have never experienced tearful eyes from chopping onions, but it wasn't completely impossible either- there are plenty of recipes that don't need them.

Prompto felt slightly flustered- the tone of Ignis' voice told him that he was somehow unaware of something that he should've known for a long time by now, and yet it was new to him. The sting of onion in his eyes made him glad in some ways- it hid the fact that some of the tears were genuine. He'd learnt more about cooking in the past ten minutes than he had in the past decade at home, and he couldn't express how thankful he was to both Ignis and Noct for giving him a chance, for making time for someone who could barely take care of himself.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

  
While the other two had been cooking, Noctis had been sat at his desk fast asleep. He had meant finish his homework, but had begun to procrastinate, and the procrastinating got him thinking, but thinking made him tired, and before he knew it he'd dozed off. 

  
He awoke to the sudden clatter of something cascading to the ground and knew that that was probably Prompto dropping something. He made his way to the dining area to find Ignis face-palming while Prompto chuckled anxiously at the broken pile on the floor. "It's a good thing we made made more food than we needed, huh Ignis."  
"Indeed. I think I'll finish laying the table if I may. We can't afford the same thing to happen again." With that, Ignis returned to the kitchen and managed to bring the two intact bowls to the table without as much as a jolt. He then went to get a large plate of bread, along with three side dishes. His final journey was longer, as he had to dish out a new portion to replace the one on the floor.

"Hey. You want any help with clearing that up, Prompto?" Noctis asked, wanting to make himself useful.

"Th-thanks Noct, but I think I've got it covered."

"Oh yeah? Well I guess you won't be needing to know where I keep the cleaning products then." The silence of Prompto trying to come up with an answer was all the information Noctis needed to know to prove that he was at a loss. He laughed triumphantly before adding "I'll go and get the floor cleaner for you." Prompto smiled as Noctis disappeared behind a cupboard door before emerging with a spray bottle of carpet cleaner, a cloth, and a dustpan and brush. He passed the bottle and cloth to Prompto and scooped the mixture of bowl debris and soup off the floor with the dustpan and brush. 

By the time the floor had been cleaned, Noct was exhausted and Prompto was dead on his feet. With just a bit of intervention from Ignis, the floor was once again spotless, and they were finally able to begin their meal.   
  


Prompto was thankful that they were only having soup, because he didn't think he'd be able to stomach much more than the portion in front of him. He tried to avoid having too much bread and focused on trying to empty the bowl in front of him as much as he could, hoping no one would notice his lack of appetite if he left any soup behind.

Ignis watched as Noctis apathetically ate his soup, and Prompto struggled to finish his bowl. He could see that the blond was trying to hide his determination to eat as much as he could handle, but it was actually having the opposite effect. Ignis wasn't surprised when the boy gave up a little over two thirds into his meal, but said nothing. He was just glad that he had an appetite at all. 

After their meal, they all washed up and then Ignis departed, leaving the two boys to settle down before getting some sleep.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

That night, Prompto slept like the dead. The plush pillows and warm duvet were a far cry from the ancient bedding he was used to. Being in Noct's apartment, and learning how to cook from Ignis made him feel valued. He didn't know whether he should feel happy or guilty for his friends' kindness. He had never felt as at home than this first evening away from it, and hoped that Noctis really didn't mind him being around.


	7. Shared Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladnis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter that will actually have some romance stuff happening in it! I hope I did ok, because I don't know how relationships work outside of movie cliches (^^;

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Gladiolus was surprised when he received a message from Ignis informing him that he'd be late, and that he had alternate plans for dinner that evening. He grunted and put Ignis' plate in the refrigerator, before eating his own portion alone. After yesterday's events at the arcade, he was hoping that his feelings toward Ignis were mutual, but he'd have to wait a little longer to discuss this now, and he was already feeling impatient. Of all the times the prince could've delayed his adviser's schedule, Gladio had been praying tonight wasn't one of them. He opened a can of beer to calm his nerves, and made his way to the couch. He was about to fall asleep when a knock on his apartment door gave him a start. He stretched and walked toward the door, revealing Ignis standing elegantly, silhouetted by the city behind him. "Hey Iggy. What took ya so long?" He invited him in and they continued the conversation while making themselves comfortable in the lounge.

"Apologies for my tardiness, but I've been helping Noct with preparing his apartment. Prompto is going to be staying with him for a while."

"Oh, so you're babysitting both of them now?" Gladio remarked sarcastically.

"Well, Prompto seemed to be in a bit of a state, so I thought I'd teach him some cooking skills. Noct suggested he could stay over so that I wouldn't need to travel."

"He didn't know how to cook? It's very kind of you to help the guy out Iggy, but he should be old enough to fend for himself by now. And anyway, shouldn't his parents have taught him this kind of stuff?"

"I am fully aware of that, Gladiolus, but if I hadn't taken things into my own hands, I dread to think what would have happened. I can't say I know much about his situation, but it appears as if he's been living alone for quite some time. "

Gladiolus's eyebrows furrowed. It wasn't normal for parents to just abandon their children like that. He admitted that Prompto was a little annoying at times, but he wasn't that bad. He looked back at the man sitting beside him with pride. "You're too kind sometimes, Iggy."

"Why thank you, but I was only-" The sudden kiss from Gladio caught him off guard, and he turned a bright crimson, but instead of pulling away as Gladio expected him to, he held him closer. Ignis had had a crush on Gladio for as long as he could remember, but he had no idea that Gladiolus had been crushing on him too. He respected Gladio for plucking up the courage to make the first move- a move that he himself was hesitant to make in case his feelings weren't reciprocated. Above all, the fear of getting pushed further away from not only his best friend, but the love of his life had been enough for Ignis to remain silent on the matter- until today at least.

When they separated, Gladiolus couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly for acting so suddenly. "Should I take that kiss as your way of asking me to go out with you, Gladio?" Inquired Ignis, his composure almost fully regained. "Well... yeah... but only if you want to." came Gladio's awkward reply. He wanted to talk about his feelings toward Ignis for some time, and even now an invisible force was preventing him from elaborating. His thoughts were cut short when Ignis came in for another quick kiss, smiling as he replied, "Of course I do." Gladiolus's heart fluttered in delight. 

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Ignis was lying half awake on the couch, his head resting on Gladiolus's lap. He never expected things to end up like this. Too much had happened for his brain to power down enough to let him sleep- he and Gladio were finally a couple! He wasn't the type to get excited over much, but he had been waiting for this moment for so long, and it had finally happened. He wondered how Noctis would get along with Prompto as his new room mate, and remembered the state of Prompto's home- if he could even call it that. He wondered where the boy's parents had been, and decided to ask Cor to get on the case if he wasn't too busy. Even if he could just get a lawsuit out of it, it'd be better than doing nothing. His mind trailed back to the present and to Gladiolus, now fast asleep above him. Having Gladio there made him feel secure, and listening to his slumbering breaths soon lulled Ignis into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You heard right! Cor will finally actually be making an appearance some point in the next chapter! I'll hopefully be publishing that soon!


	8. A Car, a Lock, a Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio and Ignis go to Noct's apartment to see how things are going. Gladio makes a big mistake after losing his patience, which makes Noctis understandably salty.
> 
> Ignis and Gladio go on a shopping spree as part of their date, then go on a romantic walk in the park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? A new chapter? The centring thing doesn't like me today so my bears are now on the left side of the page. And yes, this chapter's name is referencing Twenty One Pilots' A Car, a Torch, a Death because I was running out of inspiration for a new chapter title.
> 
> So sorry for the long hiatus, but quite a lot has happened over the past few weeks. I've had a lot of work to do for college because I have the best work ethic (it's terrible). Also, I've been applying for uni and going to interviews, so that was a fun mess. 
> 
> -Escaped_ism's out-of-the-blue life lesson-  
Fun fact, you should definitely tell your tutors what you want to do for uni in advance of anything happening. Your current courses might not seem relevant compared to your chosen uni courses, but please, for the love of God tell them anyway- especially if you need a portfolio like I did. Hopefully you'll get some help from at least some of your tutors then.
> 
> If anyone reading this is planning on going to uni and might need to go to an interview, there's no reason to be stressed. It's actually pretty chill. Just explain your thought processes with some of your work and if it's a weeby subject, you might also get the chance to fangirl/fanboy over stuff.  
-End of life lesson-
> 
> Anyway, here's a chonky chapter to make up for my absence. I'm gonna stop promising that I'm close to releasing new chapters because life usually gets in the way when I do that, but I have a lot of in-progress content for the future, so I'm far from being done with this fanfic yet. 
> 
> To everyone who's put up with my BS so far, thank you so much! I really appreciate kudos, and if you want to comment, feel free.

After making preparations for breakfast with Gladio, Ignis texted Cor- he didn't want to disturb him if he was busy. The reply came within a few minutes, Cor keeping it brief but agreeing to look into things once his other duties for that day were over. Ignis sighed, hoping for Prompto's sake that Cor would be able to do something, even if it was just finding where his parents had gone and why they had left.  
"So, what are you gonna do today?" Came Gladio's voice from the kitchen.  
"I'll need to visit Noct this morning to see if Prompto's doing alright and to make sure they're getting ready for school." It wasn't unusual for Ignis to visit Noctis on a school day- if he hadn't made this a habit, Noctis would rarely be there on time. This week, however, he'd promised Noct that he'd make their lunches, and by promised, it was more that Ignis insisted. "While they're making preparations," he continued, "I'll make their lunch, and take them to school if need be, but that mostly depends on whether or not they'll make it on time. After that, I don't really have any other plans until I pick them up this afternoon."  
"That's not like you, Iggy." Gladiolus replied with a smirk, now walking into the living room with two warm cups of coffee.  
"Well, things have changed since I originally planned what I'd do today." Ignis smiled back. "You could join us for dinner if you'd like, Gladio."  
"Sounds good. And how about we go to the park or somethin' in the mean time, seeing how we're a couple and everything."  
"I never knew you were the romantic type, Gladio." Ignis's eyes twinkled fondly as he gazed at his boyfriend.  
"Well, a guy's gotta have at least a few secrets." He smiled back lovingly.  
  
After the two had finished their coffee, they drove to Noctis's apartment. There wasn't a sign of either boy stirring. "Could you wake Noct, Gladio? I'll see if Prompto's up."  
"Sure."  
  
Gladio knocked a heavy hand on Noctis's bedroom door, knowing there was no point, then entered. Every step thundered on the floorboards, yet the sleeping prince remained unstirred. Gladiolus made his way to the closed curtains and ruthlessly tore them open. Sunlight poured into the room and made Noct groan before curling into a tighter cocoon of boy and duvet, his untidy bed hair now the only sign of his presence. Gladio huffed, his patience wearing thin. "Rise n' shine, Sleeping Beauty! You wanna be late for school or somethin'?" He pulled the duvet away from the Crown Prince's face.  
"Just five more minutes..." Noct mumbled sleepily before lifting the covers back over his head. Gladio was about to lose it, but breathed deeply, reminding himself that he would one day have to fight beside this individual. "Come on, Noct. Iggy's gonna cook vegan food for a whole month if you don't get up now!" He was answered by a sleepy groan in protest, and then Noct rolled away from the voice that was trying to wake him, still too tired to face another day of school, even if it meant being force fed vegetables for the foreseeable future and facing his friends mocking his unhealthy diet.  
  
With all patience depleted, Gladio clutched at the duvet around the prince's waist and gave it a quick tug, attempting to unfurl the chrysalis to awaken the slumbering brat beneath, but things didn't quite go as planned- Gladio misjudged both his strength and Noct's weight, and managed to yank the boy out of bed. Noctis tried to counter this move by reaching a leg out to prevent him from falling, but ended up jarring his old wound in the process, and his leg buckled under the strain. He tried to muffle his involuntary cry of pain as he curled up on the floor. _Shit! _"Gladio, the hell did you have to do that for?" Noctis grumbled through gritted teeth.  
"Sorry about that, Noct. You want any help?"  
"I'm fine." The prince replied more certainly than he felt. Gladiolus tried his best to calmly help the prince up despite this. He reassuringly placed a large hand on Noct's shoulder and helped him shakily get to his feet.  
  
Noctis paced a few steps away from the bed to see if he was still comfortable enough to walk, and stopped when he was satisfied to know that he was mostly alright. He was unhappy that the newfound pain in his left leg would probably leave him limping more than usual for a few days, but was relieved that at least he had escaped the need of using his crutches to get around again, or worse still, the wheelchair that was still stowed away somewhere in his old room in the Citadel.  
  
"This is why you should listen to your wake up calls, Noct." Gladio sarcastically remarked, hoping to lighten the mood.  
"I know." Noct replied saltily, unsure of what else to say. He couldn't help being hopeless when it came to waking up.  
  
ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ  
  
Meanwhile, Ignis politely knocked on the door to Prompto's room before letting himself in after a few seconds' wait. The boy was awake, but deaf to his surroundings, sat watching the world go past his window in... running gear? Running gear that looked to be at least two sizes too big for the boy at that. Ignis coughed to alert him of his presence, and Prompto nearly jumped out of his skin. "Wah! G-good morning, Iggy! I-er-it sure is a nice day out, huh?"  
"Yes, it is." Ignis tried to conceal the smile that was spreading across his face as the blonde's face became redder with every moment that passed.  
"I was just thinking, there's so much more going on here than at home, but I guess it figures. Wouldn't make much sense for it to be this busy in the outskirts of the city, right?"  
"I guess you're right. Now, may I suggest that you start getting ready, Prompto. I may be mistaken, but I don't think your teachers would approve you turning up to school in your running gear." Ignis took pride when his comment somehow made the already blushing boy an even brighter shade of red.  
"Oh. Y-yeah, you're right." he scrambled out of his chair to begin searching for where he'd left his school uniform, hoping it'd draw attention away from his glowing face.  
"Will you have time to make breakfast yourself, or would you prefer it if I prepared things for you while you get ready?" Ignis suggested, referring to the towel that Prompto was now clutching. _Oh yeah, breakfast._ Prompto looked up at Ignis, who was now on the other side of a growing mound of clothing that was emerging in the space between them. There was a short pause as Prompto began considering his options. He hesitated a little before finally responding. "Uh, you don't have any Choc-o-oats do you?" It had been months since he'd had his favourite chocobo-based brand of cereals, or breakfast at all for that matter, so he decided he might as well go for an old favourite if it wasn't too awkward.  
"I think we might. I'll fetch a bowl and you can pour them yourself when you're ready."  
"Thanks Iggy." Ignis smiled in response before leaving the room, allowing Prompto to dig through his luggage in an endeavour to find where he'd packed his tie.  
  
ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ  
  
Ignis entered the kitchen to find Noctis sat watching TV, a pouty expression on his face. Gladiolus was in another corner, reading a newspaper. The atmosphere was more tense than usual, but Ignis decided to leave things be for the time being. "Morning, Noct."  
"Morning." Noctis mumbled before returning his gaze to the television.  
  
Ignis got some bowls out of one of the cupboards and then found two spoons in the cutlery drawer. He put them on the table before calmly placing the box of Choc-o-oats and the bottle of milk in between the bowls and spoons. He then went back to the cupboard to get some cups, which he filled with orange juice before placing them on the table. After sorting out the two boys' breakfasts, Ignis decided to make himself another coffee so he could have a few minutes of relaxation. It was then that Prompto walked through carrying a bundle of clothing in one hand, and a towel draped over the other. "Mornin', Noct. Gladio." he said before disappearing into the bathroom.  
"Morning." Replied Noctis while Gladiolus grumbled his reply from behind his newspaper.  
  
Ignis sat down next to Gladiolus. "Any interesting headlines, Gladio?"  
"Nah, just the usual tabloid BS. But Wizmart is having a huge clearance on Ebony today. Seems the new owner doesn't understand how to bulk buy yet. We could go and stock up if you'd like."  
"I'd love to." he smiled gratefully at the thoughtfulness of his partner.  
  
Noctis watched the conversation from afar, pretending not to be interested in the sudden intimacy between his shield and his advisor. He remembered that he hadn't sorted which folders he would need for that day and got up. That's when Ignis noticed a slight difference in Noct's posture. "Are you alright, Noct?" he asked just before Noctis was far enough away to pretend he hadn't heard.  
"Yeah. What's wrong, Iggy?"  
"You seem to be limping more than usual. Are you sure everything is OK? I could book an appointment with the chiropractor if you'd like."  
"Thanks for the offer, but really, I'm fine." Ignis was sceptical about that, but decided not to press on. He made a mental note to speak to Gladiolus about it later on.  
  
After replacing yesterday's folders with today's, Noct soon re-joined Ignis and Gladio on the couch, wondering what was taking Prompto so long. Gladio had passed the sudoku section of the newspaper to Ignis, who was happily distracted in a world of numbers and order. That order was soon broken when the sound of a hairdryer came from the bathroom, and Prompto emerged not long after.  
  
"Hello again, fellas." Prompto said cheerfully as he sat down next to one of the empty bowls Ignis had left for him and poured himself a small amount of cereal. _Better than nothing,_ thought Ignis, who was discreetly watching him from over his sudoku. "Will you be walking or having a lift to school this morning, Noct?" he enquired as the prince slid out a chair next to Prompto.  
"We have enough time to walk." He turned toward his friend. "Is that ok with you, Prompto?"  
"Yeah, sounds good to me." Ignis nodded and got up to prepare the boys' lunches. After finishing breakfast, the two boys gathered their things and Ignis handed them their lunch boxes. The four of them left the apartment together, waving before setting off in two directions.  
  
From the moment Noctis and Prompto reached the polluted air of the world outside of the apartment, Prompto was adamant to take as many photos as humanly possible on their walk. Noctis mockingly frowned at the blond, who knew he was only pulling his leg.  
  
When they had covered about half of the journey to school, Prompto paused from taking pictures and looked back at Noctis, who was a fair distance behind him. "You OK there, bud?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, only a few paces behind Prompto by now, "Why're you asking?" He couldn't help but smile, Prompto's concerned expression and calculating gaze made him look more mature than his usual seemingly carefree self.  
"It's just that you seem to be having trouble catching up there. You're not planning on ditching me are you?" Prompto replied, half-joking, half-serious.  
"What? Why would I ever do that? We've been friends for what?... Two years now? Surely if I was gonna ditch you, I'd have already done so by now." Noct grinned to show that he was joking.  
"Ah, yeah. You're right..." The blond said awkwardly, raising an arm to clutch at the hair on the back of his head. "Guess I got a little carried away with my photography." He smiled meekly and tried to walk at a similar pace to Noctis for the rest of the journey, showing the prince his favourite photos along the way, and laughing when he narrowly missed walking into a lamp post.  
  
ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ  


When they finally got to the car, Ignis enquired about Noctis's limp, since Gladio was the first one to see him that morning. Gladiolus explained how he'd lost his patience and accidentally caused Noctis to jar his leg. Although a little frustrated at the explanation, Ignis was quick to forgive Gladio- he'd been close to losing his patience on several occasions thanks to Noct's reluctancy to get out of bed. Despite there being no beef between the two, the rest of the car journey was spent in silence, both parties hoping the other would say something to lighten the mood, but neither knowing what else to say.

They were thankful when they finally reached their first stop on their first official date- Insomnia's largest branch of Wizmart. Being on the outskirts of the city, the building was a huge, single storey warehouse. A few heads turned as the couple walked along the aisles hand in hand, but they pretended not to notice, focusing instead on finding Ignis's coffee so that they could go somewhere more romantic afterwards.  
  
Ignis stopped when he saw it- a mountain of cans at the end of the aisle. Gladiolus looked over at him, a wide grin plastered his face when he saw the twinkle in his partner's eyes. Not only were the drinks an extremely good price, there were hundreds of them, all packaged in boxes of a dozen for a mere two Insomnian Yen. Before Gladiolus could blink, Ignis was already filling his shopping cart to the brim with coffee in a frenzy he'd never seen before. "Whoa, easy there, Iggy. You don't need to stock up on Ebony that quickly- I'm sure they'll have these in for months." He was about to suggest they should leave when he saw a display of his favourite food. "Hold that thought, I'll be right back." He strode toward the Cup Noodles, a shopping basket now in hand. Ignis looked up from his now overflowing shopping cart, and carefully hauled it in the same direction Gladio was going, its turning circle impaired by the sheer mass of coffee that had been loaded into it.  
  
After both men had spent more than they'd like to admit on coffee and noodles, they loaded their purchases into the car, filling the entire trunk and one of the back seats. Next stop, the park.  
  
ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ  
  
After finding a nearby parking space, the couple entered the park and started following the gravelled path that lead along the river and over a bridge with white railings. The autumn color palette of the trees reminded Ignis of Gladio's deep brown eyes. He leant his head on his partner's shoulder, the gentle sway of their synchronised walking drawing him into a lull. They walked under an avenue of auburn trees, leaves gently fluttering to the ground in the crisp breeze. When they were half way across the bridge, Gladio stopped to face Ignis's querying gaze. He reached into one of his pockets and produced a red, heart-shaped padlock. "I thought we should celebrate our first date together." Gladiolus announced, "And hopefully many more to come... If you want to that is." Ignis was the closest he'd ever come to bursting into tears of joy. He smiled, his green eyes glaring directly at his boyfriend's, saying *Of course I would* without the need of words. "Will you do the honours?" Gladiolus suggested.  
"How about we do it together." Ignis was replied with a nod, then was handed a set of keys while Gladiolus knelt to hook the lock around one of the railings, clicking it into place before Ignis twisted the key, securing it in place. They both stood up in silence, taking a moment to admire the monument that now celebrated their love. "You really are full of surprises, Gladio." Ignis remarked, his emerald eyes staring deeply, taking in every detail of his boyfriend's face.  
"Got plenty more where that came from." His partner replied suggestively. They kissed and embraced for a few moments before continuing on their walk.  
  
"We should probably head back to Noct's apartment soon." Said Ignis as they were approaching the car once again. "Yeah. Shame we couldn't have more time together. When should we do this again?"  
"Well, I have the same schedule for the rest of the week, so we could go on another date whenever you have time."  
"Tomorrow sound good to you?"  
"I'll have to check my diary." Ignis said playfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've said this for at least 1 chapter now (possibly 2 or more), but Cor is 100% gonna be in the next chapter, and not just as a mention like in this chapter. This chapter kinda exists so that Cor doesn't just appear out of nowhere when he's finally part of the plot- also I couldn't split what I've written so far for the next chapter because it'd mess with the flow of things.
> 
> I swear this fanfic writes me more than I write the fanfic.


	9. In Which Cor Finally Has a Role- A Mountain of Troubles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cor searches the Argentum household for any clues of their absence. He looks to the past to try to decipher what could have caused this to happen, and memories of him rescuing a certain infant from a Magitek Research Facility come flooding back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *** Potential Spoilers for Either Episode Prompto or the Main Game if You Haven't Got to Chapter 13 Yet ***
> 
> Me: I'm probably not gonna post another chapter for a while but I haven't died or anything.  
Also me: Posts this chapter 2 days later.
> 
> To be fair, I had begun to write this chapter back in December, and really got into the zone, but I left it unfinished to write chapter 8. Do things make more sense with chapter 8 existing? Does it at least makes the pacing a little less jarring?... (although the atmosphere has changed from romance to action and drama... XD)
> 
> So I did a decent amount of research before writing this chapter- mostly to get some of the finer details right or at least as accurate as I could. Most of it probably won't be noticeable, but it was fun looking at the FFXV timeline and other random things like that. This isn't a flex BTW, I just wanted to get things like Prompto's age right- if it does seems to be a flex, my use of unimaginative names kinda balances things out again XD
> 
> If you don't like the fact that I haven't actually given Mr and Mrs Argentum definitive names, for example, feel free to call them what you want whenever they appear, I won't mind. I hope the added plot makes up for things like that... (^^;)
> 
> I genuinely have no idea when I'll return to this realm after this chapter's posted because I have no reserve content now and a lot of preparing for poor life choices to do.
> 
> Very random P.S. - I have no idea what I was listening to when I started this chapter, but I listened to A Car, a Torch, a Death quite a lot while finishing this chapter. I know I referenced it in the previous title, but the song actually fits this chapter's mood way better XD

After fulfilling that day's objectives, Cor made his way to the Argentum household for the first time in years, just as the sun was setting over the light-polluted skies of Insomnia. He could never have predicted these to be the circumstances of his return, but it was what it was.

Reaching the house gave him a strange sense of nostalgia. A lot had changed since his last visit, and even the outside appearance of the building seemed much colder than before- much like the reaction Mr and Mrs Argentum gave him more than a decade ago when he called over to wish them luck with their future prospects. It was about seventeen years since then, seeing how their son was a similar age to Noctis. Because of how events unfolded after the Argentums left the glaive, he had never been able to see Prompto grow up. He entered the house after finding the spare key exactly where it had been kept many years before. Nostalgia hit him again, bringing back sugar-coated memories of how the building had once looked compared to what was in front of him. Not much had changed as such, but there was definitely something off. "Hello?" he called out in vain- he didn't want to trespass if the Argentums were actually home, but fortunately they weren't, and probably hadn't been for a while.

He entered the living room, mentally taking note of everything that may have some kind of lead. He noticed that some of the pictures on the wall were askew, and the frames of others had been shattered. Looking at the photos, Cor noticed that the family photos seemed to stop after a certain point, and that there were only so many school photographs of Prompto as well, with a clear time skip between some of the more recent ones. He wondered if they had only chosen to display some of the pictures, or whether these were the only ones they had chosen to develop.

There was also a lack of ornaments in the house- a withered bouquet of flowers had been lopsidedly placed in a mug on the windowsill, _probably because the vase had been smashed against a picture frame_, thought Cor. He quickly sifted through the contents of the drawers and cupboards in the room, but only found things like spare remotes for the TV and a few stray video games that Prompto had probably misplaced.

The next room Cor entered was the kitchen. There wasn't much to see there, in fact there wasn't much of anything, unless you counted the remains of a coffee machine, and the clean cups and plates that had been left on the draining board (Ignis's work while waiting for Prompto to pack). _What's going on here?_ Cor wondered, now pacing up the stairs to inspect the rooms on the first floor. The door to what was obviously Promto's room was slightly ajar. Cor took a quick glimpse from the corridor but didn't enter. This room was in a different kind of mess to the others he'd seen. There was an array of discarded food packaging in and near an overflowing bin- mostly Cup Noodle and energy drinks. In one corner was a den of beanbags and cushions hidden under a spider's web of wires from all kinds of game controller. Cor had seen enough to know that there wouldn't be much of a trace of Prompto's parents in here, and even if there was, he wasn't prepared to waste hours of his time unless he had no other choice.

He turned away from the doorway and proceeded to the next door- the bathroom. Apart from the wash basket being in a similar state to Prompto's bin, there was nothing suspicious there. The next room he came across was a utility room containing a washing machine, tumble dryer, and an iron and ironing board that were tucked in a corner. He was very tempted to begin washing some of the clothing in the wash basket, but decided his priority should be to search through Mr and Mrs Argentum's bedroom first so that he could hopefully find any lead to their whereabouts.

The master bedroom looked as uninhabited as an empty hotel room- the bed was perfectly made, and the only things on the sideboards were a lamp either side of the bed and a photograph from the couple's wedding day. Searching through the drawers, Cor saw that there were only a few items of clothing left. He had a quick look through the contents of the near-empty bin, and finally found what he'd been searching for- a price tag that had come off a suitcase. So was this a holiday, or had they really abandoned their own child- foster child? Either way, they should have acted differently whatever the case. The kid had been through enough just getting to the Crown City, and now the very couple who'd accepted him were no longer there for him. Cor regretted not being more persistent about wanting to visit regularly, even after the Argentums had left the glaive, but what was done was done.

He texted Ignis to inform him of the news, and decided he'd ask Clarus about this when he next saw him. He doubted he'd know anything, but it was rare for Crown City residents to leave the Wall, so hopefully either Clarus or Regis himself would know whether they had left. From years of knowing the couple, he never imagined they'd do something so spontaneous, even if they weren't the most conventional of people. There had to be good reason for this, so maybe the past could answer some of his questions?

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

He had been asked to go on a recon mission with the Argentums at the First Magitek Production Facility back in early May, M.E 736. Questioning why the role was given to him lead to the reasoning that as _The Immortal_, Cor would be of valuable use during the mission in order to guide the lesser experienced glaive. And, as the youngest member of the party, Cor would be the least suspicious, freeing him to do any espionage while the Argentums acted as a decoy should the occasion call for it.

They were given a tour of the maze of buildings by none other than the chief of magitek research, Verstael Besithia himself. The setup was simple- the Argentums were posing as scientists- Mr and Mrs Ferrum- who wanted employment at the facility, and Cor was their lab assistant, Mr Tigris. They were under the guise of Lucian immigrants, since there was no hiding their accents. The three of them had no idea what they would witness at the facility, but they knew from training to be prepared for anything.

Besithia lead the three scientists through several rooms and winding corridors, explaining the details as they walked. "These are the result of fourteen years of pioneering scientific research." He gestured toward the MTs that were patrolling the corridor. "The secret's in the magitek core, but I digress. If you come this way, I can show you my latest project, as long as you don't tell a living soul." The party nodded in unison.

They entered a large room filled with row upon row of cryo tubes containing dormant magitek troops in various stages of the MT creation process. It was a chilling sight. "And this is my latest scientific masterpiece- an automated army of magitek troopers, or MTs for short, all at the control of our glorious Empire." He grinned with pride.

The Argentums began wandering around the room, expressing their interest whenever possible in order to keep Besithia occupied. Cor decided it was a good time for his recon to truly begin. He took a closer look at some of the curled up bodies encapsuled in the tubes. At one side of the room the MTs were near completion, looking as inhuman as the tin cans patrolling the corridors. As the rows progressed to the other side of the room, however, Cor was able to see more of what lay beneath the armour- they weren't androids at all, they were human! There was visible variation in the age, gender and genetics of these almost complete MTs, but as Cor's eyes scanned further rows, a different story unfolded. The soon-to-be MTs at this side of the room all looked near identical, with only a few exceptions. The only features that gave them any individuality to speak of were tiny variations in the distribution of freckles across their pale faces, and serial number of the black barcodes imprinted on their right arms.

"I see you've taken an interest in my clones." Besithia said from behind Cor's shoulder. "They're genetically engineered to build an entire army of fearless soldiers with daemonic strength. We no longer need to recruit men who may falter when taken to the frontline."

"Astounding." Cor replied with false awe, praising the demented mind of a man who had clearly lost sense of what was and wasn't ethical- the clones were obviously from Besithia's own DNA, everything from their facial features down to their pale blond hair gave that away. Not only that, but they all had to be in their mid teens at most. It struck him that some of the other non-cloned soon-to-be MTs only looked a little older than them. Cor tried to conceal his shudder at the thought that some of the future MTs were only about half his age, yet had never left the walls of the facility, or breathed the cold air of the harsh world outside of Besithia's cruel production facility. He also wondered what the origin of some of the other unfortunate victims was. Of all the atrocities Cor had witnessed in his 25 years on Eos, this had to be among the worst he'd seen so far.

"So, do any of you have any questions about this facility so far?" Besithia enquired.

"I do," said Mr Argentum. "How come the MTs wear full armour even when they're indoors?"

"A very good question indeed. Apart from protecting them during battle, an MT's armor is key to their daemonic strength and vitality. Such power doesn't come at a cheap price, the toll being that bright light is toxic to them, not unlike its effect on a daemon. That's why we developed the armour."

"I see. That's fascinating, Mr. Besithia."

"Why thank you. I must show you where the magic happens. Please follow."

They entered another corridor that branched out into several different doorways. Verstael stopped and reached for a key card to open the door and ushered the trio in. The first thing that struck them was the sanitary scent, indicating that they were about to witness some kind of medical procedure. To one side of the room were some filing cabinets, and In the centre of the room was an infant on a comparatively large examination table, too scared to even cry. Next to the table was a tray with an array of sterile medical equipment. As they got closer to the examination table, Cor examined the baby, noticing nothing abnormal other than the barcode on his right arm. He sighed with relief. He wasn't like the others- he was still human. At least for now he was.

Cor heard the whooshing sound of the automated door closing, and turned to see Besithia announce the tour's next attraction. "We're lucky enough today to witness what makes the true essence of a magitek trooper- the addition of the magitek core. In a few minutes, I'll take you to witness the creation of that core, but first I'll introduce you to today's test subject: 05953234." He opened one of the filing cabinet drawers and took out a folder, sifting through its contents before producing a wad of stapled paper, which he quickly scanned over. "We document the procedures undergone by each individual troop." explained Besithia, "It makes it a lot easier to keep track of things when you're in the process of building an army. We give the MTs their magitek cores when they're around six months old, so this one's well overdue. After that, they are placed into cryostasis until they are strong enough to become soldiers." He placed the paper on a desk adjacent to the filing cabinet and re-joined the group.

"Well that about sums up this room for now, so if Mr and Mrs Ferrum could follow me," Besithia's gaze returned to Cor, "and Mr Tigris stay here. Watson and Benson shall accompany you until we return." His gaze returned to the far side of the room, where the two scientists emerged from a nearby room as if by cue. "The creation of the core is highly confidential, so I hope you understand. We won't be long."

Besithia turned to lead the procession out of the room, giving Cor the opportunity to exchange a meaningful glare with the Argentums before they left, warning them to be ready for the worst. He then turned back to the two scientists who had been told to remain with him.

"Uh, you don't mind if we go back into our office for a few minutes do you?" Inquired Watson.

"We have a lot of paperwork to catch up with." Finished Benson.

"Fine, go ahead." Said Cor, _Besithia sure does hire some.. interesting staff,_ he thought.

"We'll be back before Chief Besithia returns. Please don't tell him we left you alone, he'd fire us on the spot." Watson pleaded before the two scuttled back into their hidden office, giving Cor the perfect opportunity to snoop around.

He first wandered toward the filing cabinet and flicked through the paperwork Besithia had left out. The front page was mostly full of generic details about the poor unfortunate child who was silently awaiting his fate on the table at the centre of the room. He quickly scanned over the details, but his eyes lingered over one of the details, _Date of birth: October 25, M.E. 735._ Cor steeled himself before glimpsing at the other pages. Many of them were a form of professional checklist, stamped in green next to the procedures that had taken place. Thankfully there weren't many stamps on the page yet, but there was still plenty of time for that to change. The child was just over six-months-old and yet this was happening to him. Cor meticulously set to photographing the pages as evidence before turning back to the table. He knew that it was against his better judgement, but he knew what would happen to the boy if he left him where he was, and he couldn't bare the thought of just letting it happen.

Terrified electric blue eyes met his own as Cor removed the bounds and equipment that tied the boy down. He removed his scarf and wrapped it around the infant, comforting him a little before beginning their escape. Cor froze when he heard a bleep from the door mechanism to Watson and Benson's office. He knew it'd be open soon. He ran to the other side of the room and activated that mechanism. Once open, Cor darted through the doorway, only for Watson to glimpse his departure. "Stop! You won't get away! Sound the alarm, Benson!" Benson hesitated for a second before pressing a large red button that was next to a control panel. "Oh shit! Chief Besithia's gonna have our asses for this!" he yelled as he took off, trying to catch up with his associate, who was already running after the pilferer.

Cor dashed down the hall as fast as his legs could carry him, the researchers in hot pursuit, now followed by swarms of MTs. Alarms screeched all around him, causing the infant to screech in horror. He frowned, knowing he should have just left the child where he was, but also knew that he couldn't have done that. Despite how dire the situation was, Cor didn't regret his reckless actions.

Mere seconds away from being trapped in the facility for what would have been a very short remainder of his life, Cor thankfully managed to escape by the skin of his teeth. He knew he should have planned a better escape and, had this been a training mission, things would have gone a lot smoother. He took in a deep breath of the ice cold air of freedom. He was just glad that the boy had got out of this unharmed, and that he himself only had minor injuries, which he would treat with a potion when he knew they were far enough away from danger. He couldn't risk slowing his pace for such small wounds now, not while adrenaline flowed through his veins, and every heartbeat was driving him forward, away from the disturbed ant colony of MTs and disgruntled researchers he'd left behind him.

The boy was already shivering from the sub zero temperature, and was about to start crying again when Cor quickly tucked him into the front of his coat, hoping it would suffice for now. The snowy mountains of Niflheim were certainly no place to bring an infant, even if he was being rescued from a terrible fate of Shiva knows what. He knew he'd have to get out of the cold as quickly as possible if they were both going to survive, so he silently marched through the thick snow to where he'd hidden his snowmobile, the cover of night masking his movements. He made sure the child was secure in his coat before heading East, down the mountains and through miles and miles of tundra- a blank canvas that was the perfect place for the empire to hide their sketchy developments in magitek technology. He grimaced as he wondered how many other children had already undergone the processes undertaken to become MTs, and was relieved that at least one of them would have a bright future.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Verstael Besithia was enraged when he heard the news that one of his troops had been kidnapped, by a Lucian no less. They would pay for this at the Crown City one day. He was already plotting his revenge. And Besithia's thoughts about the kidnapped child himself? He was completely replaceable. The only thing he felt toward him was resentment that he was no longer destined for the fate his creator had laid out for him.

Besithia had needed to put his tour on hold while he sorted out the ruckus. Since Cor was with the '_Ferrums_' before causing this mess, Besithia had a lot of questions to ask the couple when he would finally be able to get back to them. Little did he know that they had also begun to take their leave through the ventilation system.

Needless to say, this would be a day that would cause Besithia to forever hold a bitter grudge against Lucians, and would also mark the beginning of increased security and thorough background checks on all personnel before they even got to set foot in the facility.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Not long after the Accordo desert finally appeared over the dawn horizon, Cor's snowmobile puttered to a halt. Cor cursed quietly, and tried to find what had caused the problem, doing his best not to disturb the baby, who had now snuggled up to him, fast asleep. He smiled at how peaceful he looked, before continuing to thoroughly check over the vehicle. The engine was fine, and so was all the wiring. The battery clearly worked because there was a red light on the handlebars... He sighed and leaned closer... It was next to the fuel gauge. _Of course it was!_ He rummaged through the emergency pack that was kept at the rear of the snowmobile, hoping to find something to use as makeshift fuel. He sifted through curatives and ethers until he found a bottle of whisky. He had been instructed in training how alcohol could power a vehicle if no conventional fuel was available. Cor wasn't certain if it would work, but he figured he might as well try- it could shorten the journey to safety by about four hours, if not more. He poured the beverage into the tank, and sat back down, praying before turning the key. The engine miraculously roared back to life. He sighed with relief, and set off again.

The whisky powered the engine for about another two hours before the tank was empty once again. By this time, Cor had crossed the border between arctic and desert, so the snow mobile didn't have much traction by now anyway. His coat was now around his waist and he'd unfurled his scarf enough for him to securely tie the infant across his chest. Cor abandoned the snowmobile, bringing only the pack of curatives, and set off on foot. He was glad in some ways to be standing after being sat down for so long.

Cor was surprised that the boy had slept almost throughout the journey, ignoring an earlier fiasco where he accidentally disturbed the infant while removing his coat. Luckily, he was able to rock him back to sleep reasonably quickly. He was extremely thankful that the child hadn't needed anything other than sleep so far because there would be nothing he could've done until they were both back in the safety of civilization.

Cor looked down at the peaceful face of the slumbering boy. He dreaded to think of the trauma he must've experienced during his short time at the facility- he did have a barcode engraved on his wrist after all. That reminded him- he reached into the first aid kit and got out a bandage, which he wrapped around the boy's wrist, hiding the barcode as best as he could. He didn't want any of the locals seeing it in case they alerted the empire. Cor gently brushed a tuft of wispy blond hair away from the boy's closed eyes. He recalled the first time he saw prince Noctis, and how Regis and Aulea smiled proudly at him. He wondered if anyone had ever felt proud of this boy, or if they had only ever seen him as an asset that they were soon to exploit. He a felt bitter hatred toward the empire that he couldn't compare to anything else he'd experienced before.

Cartanica wasn't too far away by now, and after reaching the road at long last, Cor was hoping someone may let them hitchhike. He didn't want to risk being alone out in the open too much longer in case Besithia had sent some of his MTs after them.

Thankfully, Cor didn't need to walk too much further before he heard the engine of a car puttering in the distance. Although a little apprehensive at first, Cor stopped walking when he saw it emerge from under the horizon and held his thumb out. The driver stopped, and Cor had visions of Besithia's malicious grin waiting for him from the driver's side. Luckily, the gods were on his side today and the driver was not Besithia but a hard-of-hearing elderly woman. Whatever she was doing driving around before sunrise, Cor would never know, but he was eternally grateful, even if she did ask increasingly awkward questions that required him to answer several times more than he'd have liked to. Thankfully, the drive to Cartanica wasn't too painfully long, and they arrived a little after sunrise. Cor thanked the driver and then continued on his way, going to the nearest store he could find that may be able to give any advise on dealing with infants.

He entered the first store he came across to see if they sold baby food, or milk, or whatever a six-month-old baby was supposed to eat. He was beyond clueless, so he asked the store clerk for advice. "Hey, do you sell any baby food? I'll also be needing diapers."

"What a sweet little baby." She reached up and brought down a package from the shelf. "Will these do?"

Those will be fine."

"And what kind of food are you after, sir?"

"Well, to be honest, I was hoping you'd tell me."

"Well you should know your own child better than I do, sir. You haven't been letting your partner take care of him alone have you?" The assumption of having a partner of any description left Cor flustered, but he tried to roll with it.

"Well, n-no, it's just that- well, you see I've rescued him from an abusive household... he's about six months old, but I don't know the first thing about dealing with children."

"Oh, I see. I'm very sorry to hear that. At six months old, he's old enough to take both solids and liquids by now." She left her place at the counter and directed Cor to a set of shelves, stocked to the brim with all kinds baby products. She passed several different boxes and bottles to Cor, who chose out the ones that'd be the easiest to pack into his small backpack.

"How much do I owe?" asked Cor after they returned to the counter.

"Don't you worry, sir. This one's on the house. It is for a good cause after all." She smiled. "Come back if you'd like any more advice."

"Thanks, I will." He turned and began to leave.

_Poor guy_, thought the clerk, as Cor left the store. _He looks exhausted. I hope for the baby's sake he'll be ok._

After leaving the store, Cor got a room at the motel. His main priority was to prepare some food for the boy- he hadn't eaten since they'd escaped the facility, so he must be starving by now. He opened his pack and brought out one of the jars he was given earlier along with a spoon. He untied his scarf and held the child in his arms to feed him. He breathed a sigh of relief as the boy took the spoon enthusiastically.

After the child had eaten his fill, Cor placed him in the cradle that was beside his own bed and tucked him in. He rubbed his eyes. The only thing that had kept him going was adrenaline, and now that his heart-rate had returned to normal, the fatigue hit him like a brick wall. It may have been broad daylight outside, but he decided it was time to get some rest. It was that moment that the boy started crying. _Just great._ he thought, as he put the covers down, switched the lights back on, and lifted the boy into his arms.

From his times being around the Lucian royal family, Cor remembered that there were usually two occasions that would cause Noctis to cry- when he was hungry, or when he needed to have his diaper changed. Cor sincerely hoped that this was an occasion for the former. His pondering was put on hold when the child's crying ceased and he settled down. Cor sighed with relief, but now wondered what had caused the boy to cry in the first place- it certainly wasn't either of the reasons he'd experienced before. Cor gently rocked the infant to sleep and then returned him to the cradle once he was certain he wouldn't stir.

With that finally taken care of, Cor tried to get to sleep himself, but his mind was trapped in a whirlwind of thought. Had the Argentums gotten out of the facility? Had Besithia sent some of his MT troops after either party? How long would it take him to get the boy back into the safety of the Crown City? What should he do about names? He couldn't just go around calling him '_the boy_' to every stranger he met. Several names went around his head but the name that seemed to fit the best was Prompto. With at least one of his problems now settled, Cor was finally able to get some well-deserved sleep.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Other than having to wake up to feed Prompto and do some inevitable diaper changing, Cor slept soundly until the next morning. He sat up and stretched, his joints aching from the workout he'd had over the past 24 hours. He looked over to the cradle beside the bed to see that Prompto was still sleeping peacefully. He knew that they should leave soon to make sure that if they were indeed being pursued by Besithia, they would still keep their lead. He knew that once they reached the station and boarded a train that the worst part of the journey would be over. He began to pack the few things he'd left out since arriving at the motel and bought some provisions at the store, knowing it'd only take him ten minutes at most, and that the store overlooked their room.

After returning to the motel, he picked Prompto out of the cradle and gathered their things. He then checked out of the and made his way up to the man-made summit where Cartanica's station was. He purchased a ticket from the ticket booth, and patiently waited for the train under the cover of the station, partly to keep Prompto's pale skin out of the harsh desert sun, but also because he didn't want to risk any unwanted attention.

The fact that Cor wasn't sure whether or not he was being pursued made him feel worse than if he was aware of anyone on his tail. At least then he wouldn't need to be unneccessarily cautious around every passer by. Luckily the train arrived before he got overly anxious.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

The train journey was a thankfully smooth ride, and Cor was beyond relieved when they'd reached the Accordo coast. From there, the rest of the journey felt relatively short, but that was partly due to the fact that Cor felt less urgency to get back to Insomnia after getting through the most dangerous part. He hoped that the Argentums were doing alright, but he knew that they had been trained to deal with situations like this, so he reassured himself that they were unharmed.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

It wasn't until Cor had almost returned to the Crown City that Cor finally reunited with Argentums. They had an informative yet relatively brief conversation, glad to see that everyone had managed to escape the facility safely. Cor had an awkward time explaining why he thought it was a good idea to kidnap one of the infant MT clones, but the Argentums seemed to understand his reasoning. Given the opportunity, they would have done the same.

Eventually, however, Mrs Argentum began to change the direction of the conversation. "So what are you gonna do with Prompto when we get back to Insomnia?"

"I haven't really thought that far ahead." Admitted Cor.

"If you present him to Regis, then there wasn't much point in rescuing him in the first place." Mr Argentum chimed in. "He'll get taken away to one of our own laboratories, and gods know what'd become of him after that." Cor saw his point. The boy was born to be a killing machine after all, so it only made sense that their own scientists would want to see what they were up against. But that went against what Cor stood for- Prompto was no less human than the rest of them- his paperwork proved that.

"I guess I could take him to an orphanage." Cor said at last. "I can't take care of him alone, nor can I neglect my duty as Regis's bodyguard." There was a short pause as he considered his options, thinking aloud. "But if I were to do that, the orphanage would ask too many questions. Especially because of their policy on refugees and immigrants... No, that wouldn't work either. Prompto's barcode might make him suspicious."

"Why don't we adopt him for you?" Mrs Argentum suddenly suggested, smiling sweetly while the expression on her husband's face changed from surprise to delight.

"If it's alright with the both of you, I'll take you up on that offer." Cor replied.

"You can visit whenever you want, and we won't tell another living soul about his identity if you don't." At the time, Cor liked that idea. He couldn't see any other option, and trusted the Argentums to take care of Prompto- he had known them for several years after all.

"I'll make honzen ryori to celebrate." Cor announced, glad he didn't have to completely lose contact with the boy he'd gone through so much to rescue. But fast forward seventeen years, and Cor now saw that he'd made a terrible mistake. Mrs Argentum's promise fell apart before Prompto was even a year old. In fact, he'd lost contact with the Argentums completely by the time Prompto was three. He couldn't remember all of the details, but Mr and Mrs Argentum had some beef with the way things were handled after Mr Argentum was involved in an accident in the field. Cor didn't ask too many questions, respecting their privacy and knowing it was a delicate issue, but he also knew that it was clearly the root of whatever had caused them to distance themselves from the glaive, and eventually himself as well.

A few years ago, however, Cor heard from Regis that Noctis had gained a new friend that went by the name Prompto Argentum, and knew that he had to be the same boy he'd rescued back then. Despite wanting to know how he'd grown up, Cor refused to let himself visit him without reason. He didn't want to rekindle any negative feelings Mr and Mrs Argentum may have had toward him if Prompto told them he'd met one of their ex co-workers, and Prompto would have been too young to remember him anyway.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

Back in the present, Cor realised that whatever had happened to Mr Argentum and the events that followed probably had a big role in their current absence. Whether they'd neglected their son on purpose, or had simply chosen to dissert their king, he didn't know. What he did know is that he'd have to somehow find out what had driven them to leave, and that may require him to ask Prompto some questions he may not want to answer.


	10. Question Time pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cor asks Prompto some questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm beeeaaaaaaccckk! I'm so sorry that it's been so long, but a lot's been going on with pressure to finish stuff for college, and now this pandemic. It's the Easter holidays rn, but I still have stuff to do for college ;_;)  
I'm hoping to post the next chapter within the next week or two, but we'll see how things go...
> 
> I'm hoping part 2 of this will be longer, but I need more motivation to write after the long break (^_^;)

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

After leaving the Argentum household, Cor reluctantly made his way to Noctis's apartment. He'd messaged Ignis about his decision before leaving, but still didn't want to have to do this. Sadly, there was no other option if he were to ever find out more about what had happened between Prompto's parents.

He knocked on the door. Ignis let him in and directed him into the living room, where Noct, Gladio and Prompto were in the middle of a heated match of Uno. Ignis introduced Cor in a calm, professional manner. "As you're already acquainted with Gladio and Noct- Cor this is Prompto. Prompto, this is Cor."

"Cor as in 'the Immortal'?!" exclaimed Prompto way louder than he'd meant to, receiving a mixture of reactions ranging from held-in laughter from Noctis to dis-amusement from Cor.

"Prompto, if you don't mind coming with me for a few minutes. I have a few questions to ask you." Said Cor, ignoring the sudden outburst.

"U-uh, ok... sure." Prompto nodded, his face a bright shade of pink. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. One of his role models- the Marshal- the King's own bodyguard had come to visit him of all people. Noctis hadn't set this up... had he? If he had, Prompto knew he should thank him later.

They entered Noctis's 'study', which was actually part study, part storeroom. An old dusty desk and some chairs were at one end of the room, and most of the rest of the space was taken up by all manners of fishing rods, hooks, lures, lines, and reels; and there were several old photographs hung on the walls of a younger Noctis fishing with his dad. Cor and Prompto sat down next to the desk. "So, what is it you wanted to ask me about, Cor?" Prompto enquired nervously, forcing himself to smile while holding eye contact.

"It's about your parents." He declared, wasting no effort on trying to sugarcoat things. Prompto's smile was replaced by dread and confusion. "They've not been around for a while, am I right?"

"Y-yeah. But they've always been busy with work, so it's not like it's anything abnormal. How do you know about this anyway, Cor?"

"Let's just say I have my ways of knowing these things." Prompto looked at Cor sceptically, but didn't ask him any further questions, knowing those would also be skilfully dodged.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask a few more questions." Cor continued. "We can stop at any time." Prompto nodded. "Did anything happen between you or your parents before their absence? Any fights or arguments that could have led to them leaving?"

"Now that you mention it, they did have a big argument about a month ago, but things got back to normal not long after." By 'not long,' Prompto means two days, "And just because I haven't seen them since then doesn't mean that they've not around- they usually get home pretty late anyway, so I don't always notice them get back."

"I see. Do you remember what they were arguing over?"

"I think it was to do with money or something, but I didn't really hear everything they said." On that night, Prompto had been close to getting to sleep when the yelling began. He caught the beginning of the argument, but then put his headphones on to stop worrying and to get back to his happy place.

"And is that the most recently you saw them?"

"No, I last saw them about two days after the argument. They were fine by then, but they seemed to be in some kind of hurry, so I didn't want to get in their way..." He paused for a brief moment, trying to work things out. "You're not questioning me because they've died or something are you?"

"Not as far as I know. But their whereabouts are unknown."

"What do you mean 'unknown'?!"

"Please Prompto, try to remain calm." Said Cor, sensing the blond's growing anxiety, not that he was exactly hiding it. He knew he should try to wrap this up soon. "I can't tell you all the details. Just know I'm trying to get to the bottom of this." Prompto gently nodded, at least a little reassured. "I just want to keep you a few more minutes, and then you'll be free to go back to your friends." Another nod. "On the day you last saw your parents, did you notice them carrying large bags or suitcases at any time?"

"Yeah. They said something about planning a family holiday this summer, and that they'd bought new suitcases for then."

"And is it common for them to plan events like this?"

"No. They've never mentioned going on a holiday anywhere before. If anything, they usually work harder than ever when the holiday season starts."

"Right, thank you." He paused briefly before continuing. "That should be enough information for now, but I may need to ask you further questions in future. Thanks for your time, Prompto." With that, Cor rose and ushered Prompto out of the study and back to where Noctis was begrudgingly picking up twenty five cards so that he wouldn't need to go vegan for the rest of the year. "Thanks for having me," said Cor as Ignis and Gladio put their cards down, and Noctis half looked up from his counting, "but I have some work to do. Good evening everyone." He made his own way to the door, gesturing at Ignis to sit back down when he was about to lead him out. After hearing the door close, Prompto plopped down on the sofa and let out a loud sigh. Three pairs of eyes followed him. "You alright there, bud?" Noctis asked from over his overflowing deck of colourful cards.

"Yeah. Just a little tired. I think I'll have an early night." Prompto's mind was racing, and he wanted to avoid explaining things to his friends for now- if he could help it. He wasn't sure if he knew what was going on himself. "Night everyone."

"Night" a trio of concerned voices responded harmoniously as he left the room once again.

ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʕ•̫͡•ʔ•̫͡•ʔ

'Things are worse than I thought', thought Cor as he left the apartment. 'If the boy himself doesn't have much information about his parents' absence, then who would?' All he'd gathered from his enquiries was that Mr and Mrs Argentum had had an argument over something, which may or may not have triggered their decision to leave. But why would they both leave together if they had fallen out? There had to be other details he was missing out on. But what were they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to add a pic to this chapter, but IDK if I can get pics from Google Drive to upload... (I know memes and other google images [or non-google images] can be uploaded at least... XD)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading this far :)


End file.
